The present disclosure relates generally to a tubular structure support, and more particularly to a lightweight boron steel tubular structure support integrated into a seat structure of a vehicle.
Structural supports, such as steel tubes, are hollow tubes that are used in a variety of applications. Structural supports may be produced by two distinct processes that may result in either a seamless or welded support. Raw metal, such as steel, is first cast into a workable starting form, and then is made into a support structure (e.g., a tube) by stretching the steel out into a seamless tube or forcing the edges together and sealing them with a weld.
The steel tube may undergo a heat treatment process to alter the mechanical properties of the material. Generally, heat treatment uses phase transformation during the process to change a microstructure of the material in solid state. These phase and structural transformations may determine the overall mechanical behavior of the steel material, including properties such as strength, hardness, toughness and ductility, and consequently the implementation of the steel tube for industrial applications.
Many industrial applications, including but not limited to vehicle frames and sub-frames, commercial and residential furniture, machinery parts, and building, infrastructural and architectural structural elements, demand lightweight tubular steel structures. As a specific example, an important aim of the automotive industry is to decrease fuel consumption by reducing the weight of the vehicle without sacrificing the structural integrity (e.g., safety) of the vehicle. It is preferred that vehicle structural supports be lightweight to provide improved fuel economy. However, structural supports such as those applicable for vehicle sub-frames preferably have properties of high strength to satisfy the strict standards of crash worthiness and thereby maintain the structural integrity of the vehicle. Yet, conventional engineering materials and processes force a trade-off between costs and fuel efficiency and/or safety.
Overcoming these concerns would be desirable and could save the industry substantial resources.